Reihan, Wed 10.10.07, Morning

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Nava R., Hedvah H. (reporting)

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Oct-10-2007

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Morning

11:00-12:15

The preparationsfor the 'Id el Fitr Holiday which marks the end of the month of Ramadan, are at their height, and that is felt at the CP as well. Many more people are going through to the occupied territories. People coming and going have lots of goods and packages in their hands. The number of vehicles parked in the Palestinian parking lot is much larger than usual. This includes both the taxis waiting to take people to the territories and the transits loaded with goods -- vegetables and eggs. But the concept of 'larger' is actually relative. We are not referring to the large numbers of people who passed through here six months ago before the place changed completely.

When we came up to the shed in the Palestinian parking lot, we saw that dozens of people were waiting to enter the terminal. Some of them, angry and in despair because, as they said, they were delayed for a long time, asked for our help. One of them told us that he had been waiting for a whole hour, and there was nobody who had been waiting for less than 20 minutes. We went up to find the person in charge of the CP, to find out what the reason for the 'traffic jam' that had formed, and when at long last we succeeded in talking to him, it turned out that there was some trouble in the terminal.

A Palestinian fellow who is epileptic fell down in the terminal while he was being inspected, and that was why they had to close the passageways temporarily until the man could be treated, and until they could figure out what should be done with him, because it turned out that he had also stayed in Israel illegally.

When we returned to the shed, we saw that the pressure was freed all at once. There we met the epileptic, resting in the shade. His brother, who came with him, asked us to speak for him, so that they would let him return to the terminal, finish up his affairs as quickly as possible, so that he could get the goods that he had tried to transport to the territories and was forbidden to do. According to him, it was all about a few doors valued at NIS 250; but what was most important to him at the moment was that he be allowed to return home with his sick brother as fast as possible. We did not succeed in helping him to expedite matters there, and we could only breathe freely when the two finally left the place in a taxi that took them from the parking lot. We could not understand why they were not allowed to transport the doors, but that is really not the only thing that is unclear here, at this "passage point."

Location Description

Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

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This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).